17 May 2014 -- On this day in 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Like racism, xenophobia or anti-semitism, homophobia and transphobia are forms of discrimination. They include the negative attitudes that can lead to rejection and to direct or indirect discrimination towards gay men, lesbians, bisexual, transsexual or transgendered people, or toward anyone whose physical appearance or behaviour does not fit masculine or feminine stereotypes.

While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments prohibit discrimination, over 75 countries currently have sodomy laws or other legal provisions criminalising homosexuality. Apart from the inherent violation of criminalising sexual conduct, these laws empower police and other authorities to abuse, harass, extort, imprison and even execute people whose sexual orientation, gender identity or expression differs from dominant norms.

Sources: International Day Against Homophobia, International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission

The Safe Space Kit: Guide to Being an Ally to LGBT StudentsDesigned to help educators create a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual (LGBT) youth in schools, this guide provides concrete strategies for supporting LGBT students, educating about anti-LGBT bias and advocating for changes within schools.

Handbook on monitoring and reporting homophobic and transphobic incidentsThis handbook is designed for human rights organisations intending to monitor the occurrence of homophobic and transphobic incidents and violence in order to advocate for legislative changes to increase legal protections against violence motivated by hatred towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.